Next translation project? [VOTING CLOSED]

So I’ve gotten three recommendations for my next project and I thought I’d best leave it to you guys to decided which one I should take on. I personally haven’t read any of these novels, so I’m actually quite excited to be reading along with everyone else as I translate hehe

[Note that all these synopsis were taken from shushengbar, click on the links to see what other readers have to say about the novels]

Alone, Pang Wan entered the Jiang Hu[1]. Her dream was to become a pure lady [2], to find her destined other half.

To fulfill this dream, everyday, she would dress elegantly in white and sit in the teahouse to admire handsome men and read her novels.

She heard, the demonesses [3] related to Jiang Hu were all, depending on their martial arts capabilities, divided into groups of three, six and nine.Currently, the evil woman, who had the beauty of a blossoming flower, who had a heart like snakes and scorpions, who could kill at such a young age, was a once in a century’s peerless demoness.
She also heard that the demoness had came down the mountains to challenge the Wu Lin [4] champion Gu Xi Ju, to take the title of number one and to wreck havoc in the Jiang Hu.

Yet again she heard that all those who had decent martial arts skills vowed to get rid of this witch.

Aiyaya, it’s not good! Isn’t this demoness her? She did not kill the person! She did not start the fire!

This infamous name of the demoness is also not what she wanted!

Looks, like Jiang Hu’s road is very curved, she better run!

–

[1] Literally translated as rivers and lakes. Refers to the pugilist world.

[2] Direct translation: A lady like a White Lotus, meaning pure.
[3] Not exactly the supernatural kind. It’s kind of a name for the women of Jiang Hu.
[4] Wu Lin meaning martial arts.

She was born of a rich and powerful family, a noblewoman whose abilities were no less than any man. He was of a humble background and rose up the ranks, the iron-willed man on the armored horse who was filled with great ambitions. A deal made for the sake of power and control severed the fated affinity with the one whom she had grown up with. An encounter that came later but it penned the beginning of a vow of life and death together, a vow on which they would stand, shoulder to shoulder, anywhere they were in the world.

Struggles for power. Rebellions of the palace. His horse would trample its way to the imperial palace to fulfill his ruling conquest to become emperor.

For old enmities that continued their entanglement, for the survival of her clan, she once again stepped into the palace walls, bringing about great change to the political situation of the realm. When they met once again, they were merely passersby in each other’s lives. The peach blossoms had all fallen, and though hands had been clasped in promise to go through life and death together, in the end, it turned out to be merely loneliness within that empire of magnificence.

The Shangyang Junzhu [noblewoman] 王儇 Wang Xuan, born of a distinguished family, with imperial blood running through her veins had once possessed the most coveted things of the world: beauty, honour, exceptional talent, and a man whom she loved and had grown up with. Yet, she was born into chaotic times, and fate she could not evade thrust her into the eye of the tempest waves.

萧綦 Xiao Qi, a man of humble beginnings, who, from when he had joined the army, had step by step risen up into a high position due to his military accomplishments until he had become the Yuzhang Prince [a bestowed title, not one inherited by blood] whose power could shake the world. His marriage to Wang Xuan had been merely a political transaction between two powerful parties, but unexpectedly, this later encounter changed the fate of these two people. From that moment onwards, Xiao Qi’s life now carried a promise between two people to be forever together, be it in life or death, and a resolve to walk side by side with her.

The dispute between imperial relatives not of the direct line and the imperial family lead to a mutiny. The imperial relatives of the southern lands gathered military forces in a rebellion. Wang Xuan, originally trapped in the city of Huizhou on her return journey to the imperial capital, captured the city into her control using her cleverness and hence took her first victory as she entered politics. From henceforth, she, shoulder to shoulder with Xiao Qi, stepped onto the journey towards an emperor’s ruling conquest, with their banner directed to the south and their horses trampling their way to the imperial palace. However, over and over again she was presented with choices – her husbands’ family or her own family, the man she loved or familial love, things of the past or those of the present – and time and again she had to make the brutal choice.

Note that White Calculation is part of a whole series of books about six sworn brothers by the author — find out more here — but it is said to be understandable without having to read all the other books. Also warning, there are mature contents in this one.

“Ji Xiao li” Chen Yu Bai pressed the body under him and gritted his teeth :”what exactly did I owe you in my past life?”
“I…don’t…know..but you don’t know too? Aren’t you a fortune teller?”

At this instant, even the thousand years ice jade bed under them can feel the chill emitted by this man.

Hi, have been a silent reader for a while now.
I would like to vote for number 2, but it truly depends on the character development, which I can’t really grasp of from the synopsis itself.
I like BGWWW, but as someone pointed before, the character is not fully developed and the story focuses a lot on fluff and romance. It is good for a light reading, but as a fan of your blog, I would love to see #2 as a new addition because it sounds more angsty and well-written ^^

I don’t know if I’m being too ruthless by asking you to consider this but my Chinese is not good enough for this novel, definitely not for this novel… *sigh~*
The novel I’m talking about is, 不悟 (Unrepentant) – 则慕
I know you will not be translating this, if you read reviews of it. But I have feeling it’s not bad as it appears to be. (¯―¯٥)
Anyway thank you for your translations, I read all of them. And I particularly like 桑歌 and 妖女不妖 the most. Your translations of them are magnificent. Again, thank you so much for sharing them with us! Whatever it is, I’ll be always here to read your next translation (*˘︶˘*).｡.:*♡

If I had to choose from your list, it’ll be number 2!
I hate spoiled females overflowing with stupidity, so definitely NOT no.3 and I don’t know much about no.1 yet, but I have a feeling it’ll be like no.3
Soooo… no.2 it is (^_^)v

Wow it does sound really tragic haha, but I’m also quite interested in the story too, it sort of reminds me of 桑歌 as well, I’m sorry I can’t be translating it right now. From what I gathered, it does seem to be relatively short, possibly short enough to fit into my schedule over the summer, but I’ll have to see how that goes, I’ll try my best!!

I know Im too late to vote but for a translator with your calibre, you definitely should translate The Emperor’s Conquest or similar storysetting cos Im a fan of heroines who do not have feathers for brains and wait around for the hero to save her and the world! (hopefully countless of others, too)

Books with damsels in distress genre, feather brained heroines who dont know has not entered the school of hard knocks are a dime a dozen and this kind of stories do not stick and linger in one’s mind!

I really hope that your next translation would be this book (The Emperor’s Congquest) after Jianghu or something equally worthy of your skills xiaoxiaomei and annie.

Keep up the good work and continue to roll out the intelligent, feisty, cunning and kick ass heroines in your future translations (there is a dearth of them in the literary world)!

Oh you flatter me so much, thank you for thinking so nicely of my translating 🙂

Don’t worry, I feel that Emperor Conquest is such a classic novel in the c-novel world with so many great reviews, it would be a shame to not be able to share it to none chinese speakers. So I am definitely keeping it in mind for a future project, but it is quite a difficult one to get through, and it’s popularity makes me feel a little pressured to do well in translating it.

For now, I’m actually quite glad to translate a bit of light comedy, before I get stuck right into another heavy novel haha

Hello! I know the voting’s closed but since you’re nearly done with Jianghu’s Road is Curved, maybe you’d consider translating Emperor’s Conquest? I think you translate beautifully, and it would be lovely to read your translation of EC. (: